Temba Bavuma ready to replace De Villiers’ spot in South Africa Test line up

Temba Bavuma wants to make the No. 4 spot in South Africa’s Test batting line-up his own, following the retirement of AB de Villiers. Bavuma, who is part of South Africa’s squad for their tour of Sri Lanka, has only batted at that position five times, having spent most of his 29-Test career at No. 6.

Times LIVE

“I will be opportunistic because there is a spot open for someone to come in at No. 4 and I am putting up my hand for that position ” Bavuma said at a training camp in Pretoria on Tuesday. “Hopefully the selectors are looking towards me. And in such circumstances where they want me to play in a different cameo, I will try to execute as best as possible.”

Bavuma first batted at No. 4 against England at Old Trafford in August 2017, making 46 and 12 in a 177-run loss that gave England the series 3-1. He continued to occupy that position during South Africa’s next Test assignment, a home series against Bangladesh, but hasn’t batted there since. In his brief time at No. 4, he has averaged 41.75 as against a career average of 34.87.

“I had the opportunity in England and I quite enjoyed it even though it was a tough Test match and series ” he said. “I enjoyed the responsibility, and in a way it is something that could help my game because I have not been able to convert most of my starts. Coming in at No. 4 the opportunity is there to score those big runs and it goes hand in hand with what I am trying to achieve. But the decision rests with the selectors the coach and the captain.”

South Africa will play two Tests in Sri Lanka, with the first one starting on July 12 and the second on July 20. On what are expected to be spin-friendly pitches, Bavuma said strike rotation would be crucial.

“Playing on the subcontinent is different from playing here at home because spin becomes a key thing ” he said. “You must resonate your spinning rotation along with your hitting boundaries. In short, it is all about placing yourself to the challenges where you know there is a tough situation to sustain on and plan your game accordingly. It would be my first time in Sri Lanka so I will try to make it a good one for myself and the team.”

Belonging to the cohort of cricket fanatics, Ranojoy Middya is an assiduous cricketer who aspires to live life in purview of the cricketing world; penning his line of thinking at present and living up to it in the near future.